Scottish Executive

Air Services

Michael Russell (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what its position is on the charges levied by some airports for the provision of wheelchairs for disabled or infirm passengers.

Lewis Macdonald: The Scottish Executive is not aware of any charges being levied by airports in Scotland for the provision of wheelchairs. The responsibility for handling all passengers, including those with special needs, rests with airlines or their appointed handling agents.

Air Services

Michael Russell (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether its subsidy to Highlands and Islands Airports Ltd makes any provision for free access to assistance for disabled or infirm passengers.

Lewis Macdonald: No. Highlands and Islands Airports Ltd makes no charge for the provision of assistance to passengers with special needs at its airports. The responsibility for handling all passengers, including those with special needs, rests with airlines or their appointed handling agents.

Apprenticeships

Susan Deacon (Edinburgh East and Musselburgh) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people in the (a) City of Edinburgh Council, (b) East Lothian Council and (c) Edinburgh East and Musselburgh parliamentary constituency area have participated in modern apprenticeship schemes in each year since 1999, broken down by (i) gender, (ii) race and (iii) disability.

Iain Gray: The numbers of Modern Apprentices (MAs) in training as at end March for each of the years 1999-2000, 2000-01, 2001-02 and 2002-03 (to date) are:

  City of Edinburgh Council: 541, 654, 1,213, 1,463

  East Lothian Council: 188, 264, 387, 409

  Edinburgh East and Musselburgh parliamentary constituency: 117, 152, 294, 343

  MAs can take more than a year to complete: some individuals will be included in the figures for more than one year.

  The breakdown by gender, race and disability is given in the table Modern Apprenticeships in Edinburgh and East Lothian, a copy of which has been placed in the Parliament’s Reference Centre (Bib. number 27115).

Autism

Susan Deacon (Edinburgh East and Musselburgh) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive when the autism consultative group in Edinburgh will be ready to report on its conclusions.

Cathy Jamieson: Services related to autistic spectrum disorders within Edinburgh, and consultation upon them, are matters for the Lothian NHS Board, Edinburgh City Council and other local agencies.

Autism

Susan Deacon (Edinburgh East and Musselburgh) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how much funding has been allocated to the autism consultative group in Edinburgh for 2002-03 and how much of this allocation will have been spent by the end of the financial year.

Susan Deacon (Edinburgh East and Musselburgh) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what allocations have been made to the autism consultative group in Edinburgh for 2003-04.

Cathy Jamieson: Services related to autistic spectrum disorders within Edinburgh, and the distribution of resources to them, are matters for the Lothian NHS Board, Edinburgh City Council and other local agencies.

Autism

Susan Deacon (Edinburgh East and Musselburgh) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the initial findings of the autism consultative group in Edinburgh indicated and what mechanisms are in place for incorporating any recommendations from the group into future planning of services for pre-school children with a diagnosis of autistic spectrum disorder.

Cathy Jamieson: This is a matter for those agencies, such as the Lothian NHS Board and Edinburgh City Council, which are responsible for services related to autistic spectrum disorders.

Autism

Susan Deacon (Edinburgh East and Musselburgh) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive which agencies are currently involved in developing an integrated approach to improving services for parents of pre-school children diagnosed with autistic spectrum disorder.

Cathy Jamieson: The importance of better integrated services for children and their parents, including those affected by autistic spectrum disorder, has been emphasised in a range of publications including the report For Scotland’s Children: better integrated services for children , published in October 2001. The Cabinet Sub-Committee on Children’s Services, chaired by the First Minister, is driving this agenda forward within the Scottish Executive. At local level a range of organisations, including local authorities, the NHS and the voluntary sector are contributing to this agenda.

Autism

Susan Deacon (Edinburgh East and Musselburgh) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive which agencies are primarily responsible for addressing the needs of pre-school children diagnosed with autistic spectrum disorder.

Cathy Jamieson: A range of agencies could contribute to addressing the needs of pre-school children diagnosed with autistic spectrum disorder, including the NHS and local authority social work departments.

Children

Susan Deacon (Edinburgh East and Musselburgh) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether there is a procedure to allow for carrying over to the next financial year any underspend from allocations through the Changing Children’s Services Fund.

Cathy Jamieson: Changing Children’s Services Fund resources have been distributed to local authorities and their partners for the financial year 2002-03. Where it has not been possible to spend those resources fully in that financial year, the Scottish Executive has on application allowed for those resources not to be recouped but to be available for the following financial year.

Economy

Andrew Wilson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the average annual rate of growth in the economy has been since May 1999.

Iain Gray: The average annual growth rate measured between the four quarters to 1999 Q1 and the four quarters to 2002 Q1 was 1.7%.

Education

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the proposal of Argyll and Bute Council to reduce the number of promoted posts for teachers is in keeping with the McCrone agreement.

Nicol Stephen: It is a matter for local authorities to determine local staffing requirements.

Education

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how much (a) basic and (b) additional grant-aided expenditure for education has been awarded to South Lanarkshire Council in each year since its formation.

Mr Andy Kerr: The figures in the table show the South Lanarkshire Council’s Grant Aided Expenditure formula allocation for education from 1996-97 onwards. These figures include any in year adjustments.

  

 

£ Million 
  



1996-97 
  

148.060 
  



1997-98 
  

144.344 
  



1998-99 
  

148.697 
  



1999-2000 
  

159.254 
  



2000-01 
  

165.193 
  



2001-02 
  

180.547 
  



2002-03 
  

198.772 
  



2003-04 
  

212.954 
  



2004-05 
  

224.636 
  



2005-06 
  

234.493 
  



  Grant Aided Expenditure (GAE) allocations are not spending targets or limits; they form one part of the distribution formula that calculates each councils block general grant allocations.

  The following table gives details of the main additional allocations that have been made to South Lanarkshire Council for Education since 1996-97.

  

 

Pre-School Grant
(£ Million) 
  

Additional Financial Resources for Schools
(£ Million) 
  

Support for Science
(£ Million) 
  

Modern Languages in Primary Schools
(£ Million) 
  



1996-97 
  
 
 
 

0.057 
  



1997-98 
  
 
 
 

0.140 
  



1998-99 
  

2.974 
  
 
 

0.149 
  



1999-2000 
  

6.529 
  
 
 

0.110 
  



2000-01 
  

7.405 
  

2.873 
  
 

0.134 
  



2001-02 
  

7.791 
  

1.806 
  

0.301 
  

0.187 
  



2002-03 
  

0.213** 
  
 

0.185 
  

0.242 
  



2003-04 
  

0.213 
  
 

* 
  

* 
  



2004-05 
  

0.354 
  
 

* 
  

* 
  



2005-06 
  

0.354 
  
 

* 
  

* 
  



  Notes:

  *Individual allocations have yet to be decided.

  **Since 2002-03 the main element of funding for pre-school education is provided through general grant.

Education

Michael Russell (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will seek confirmation from every school and local authority that parents likely to be affected by the proposals in its draft Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Bill on the replacement of the present Record of Needs legislation were informed of the proposals in the draft bill, had the opportunity to give their views on the matter and that robust and accurate procedures were in place to communicate these views in detail to the Executive.

Cathy Jamieson: Over 7,000 copies of the draft Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Bill have been sent out. Every school in Scotland – mainstream, grant-aided, self-governing and independent – has been sent a copy, as have all education authorities, parent teacher associations, and many voluntary sector organisations. Head teachers were encouraged to inform parents of the new proposals, and to invite their comments. It is not intended to ask each school or education authority to report on the action taken in the consultation process.

  Fourteen seminars have been held in six towns/cities across Scotland, with 1,210 delegates attending. Additionally, Scottish Executive officials have been invited to talk and listen at various discussion groups involving parents.

  A report on the written responses to the consultation will be published in due course.

Education

Susan Deacon (Edinburgh East and Musselburgh) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of those who responded to the National Debate on Education were parents or organisations that included parent representatives.

Cathy Jamieson: In response to the National Debate on Education, hundreds of events were held across Scotland ranging from small group discussions to large conferences. About one quarter of debate responses indicated that parents were present at an event or discussion, including feedback from 176 school boards and a further 73 responses predominantly from parents or parent organisations. We believe that parents were involved in many more responses.

Education

Susan Deacon (Edinburgh East and Musselburgh) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what monitoring mechanisms will be in place to ensure that the terms of the Draft Education Additional Support for Learning (Scotland) Bill are implemented consistently across all local authorities.

Cathy Jamieson: Guidance will be issued to all education authorities, setting minimum standards for identifying and meeting the needs of pupils. H.M. Inspectorate of Education, through its inspection programme, will inspect the provision made under the legislation for children with additional support needs. The Scottish Executive will commission research on the impact of the new legislation.

Education

Susan Deacon (Edinburgh East and Musselburgh) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what mechanisms will be introduced to ensure that all children with complex educational needs including those attending independent schools, are assessed and supported appropriately.

Cathy Jamieson: The draft Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Bill introduces new duties on education authorities to identify and address the additional support needs of pupils. There is also a duty to keep under consideration the adequacy of provision in meeting the needs of the child. An overall framework for intervention will be developed to replace current advice and to incorporate other intervention systems.

  For those within the public system, with the most complex needs, who require it, a Co-ordinated Support Plan (CSP) will be drawn up. This will be a statutory document that will detail the agreed long- and short-term learning outcomes for the child. The provision stated in the CSP will be subject to appeal to the Additional Support Needs Tribunal.

  For those who are being educated outwith the public system, education authorities will have a power to make such arrangements as they consider appropriate, in order to identify those who might have additional support needs.

Education

Paul Martin (Glasgow Springburn) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many school leavers in the Glasgow Springburn parliamentary constituency area left school with no (a) standard and (b) higher grade qualifications compared to the national average in each of the last five years.

Nicol Stephen: The information requested is shown in the following table; the data for Glasgow Springburn is based on publicly funded schools within the constituency rather than pupils living within that area. The schools included are: All Saints Secondary School; Smithycroft Secondary School; Springburn Academy; St Roch’s Secondary School, and Whitehill Secondary School.

  Percentages are given for ease of interpretation, although the small numbers from these centres mean that care must be taken when making comparisons across years and against other areas.

  

 

Total Number of Leavers 
  

Leavers with No Qualifications at SCQF Level 
  3 or Above 
  

Leavers with No Qualifications at SCQF Level 
  6 or Above 
  



Number 
  

% 
  

Number 
  

% 
  



1997-98 
  



Schools in Glasgow Springburn 
  

541 
  

146 
  

27% 
  

478 
  

88% 
  



Scotland 
  

59,150 
  

3,658 
  

6% 
  

33,959 
  

57% 
  



1998-99 
  



Schools in Glasgow Springburn 
  

705 
  

149 
  

21% 
  

600 
  

85% 
  



Scotland 
  

57,631 
  

3,189 
  

6% 
  

32,223 
  

56% 
  



1999-2000 
  



Schools in Glasgow Springburn 
  

753 
  

135 
  

18% 
  

619 
  

82% 
  



Scotland 
  

56,376 
  

3,061 
  

5% 
  

31,514 
  

56% 
  



2000-01 
  



Schools in Glasgow Springburn 
  

692 
  

127 
  

18% 
  

572 
  

83% 
  



Scotland 
  

58,061 
  

3,300 
  

6% 
  

33,155 
  

57% 
  



2001-02P




Schools in Glasgow Springburn 
  

737 
  

141 
  

19% 
  

613 
  

83% 
  



Scotland 
  

58,035 
  

3,085 
  

5% 
  

33,257 
  

57% 
  



  Note:

  PFigures for 2001-02 are marked as provisional and may be slightly revised as updated information is provided by schools.

Education

Paul Martin (Glasgow Springburn) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what measures are being taken to increase the number of school leavers in the Glasgow Springburn parliamentary constituency area leaving school with (a) standard and (b) higher grade qualifications.

Paul Martin (Glasgow Springburn) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what measures are being taken to increase the number of school leavers in the Glasgow Springburn parliamentary constituency area leaving school with a higher grade qualification.

Nicol Stephen: The school improvement framework requires all local authorities and their schools to establish local targets for school pupils achieving national qualifications. The targets are to be set for the period 2002-05 and should be stretching, but realistic.

  The introduction of the National Qualifications framework enables students to build up qualifications flexibility over time and improves progression routes between standard grade and higher. The Scottish Executive has also encouraged education authorities and schools to make greater use of flexibility within the school curriculum to meet learners’ needs. We will continue our efforts to help all students reach their full educational potential by taking forward the outcomes of the national debate.

Enterprise

Ms Wendy Alexander (Paisley North) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to increase the number of women setting up their own businesses.

Iain Gray: The Executive recognises that we need to increase the number of women led businesses in Scotland. We are committed to this in our strategic document Smart, Successful Scotland that sets out the direction and priorities for the Enterprise Networks.

  To help improve our performance I recently announced the formation of a National Women’s Enterprise Unit within the Enterprise Networks. The unit will have a strategic focus in supporting more women into business and, as its first task, will review existing support mechanisms across the networks. The unit will be assisted by an advisory group of leading women entrepreneurs who will have a key advocacy role in encouraging more women to consider setting up in business.

  It is also encouraging that Scottish Enterprise aims to increase the number of start-ups by women assisted by the network to 40% by 2004-05, when the overall performance target will have increased to 9,000 start-ups.

Environment

Alex Fergusson (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has made any representations to relevant authorities in Northern Ireland about the environmental impact of the proposed opencast lignite mine and power station near Ballymoney, County Antrim.

Ross Finnie: The Scottish Executive is in regular contact with relevant officials in Northern Ireland on a variety of air quality issues. These contacts have included discussions about the opencast lignite mine and power station near Ballymoney, the proposals for which are only at a very early stage. Such contacts will continue with a view to ensuring that any planned development meets the required environmental standards laid down by the relevant legislation.

Equal Opportunities

Susan Deacon (Edinburgh East and Musselburgh) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the content was of its submission to Her Majesty’s Government’s fifth periodic report to the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women and where this has been published.

Ms Margaret Curran: The UK Government's fifth periodic report to the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women has not yet been published. The UK Government intends to publish the report in early May.

European Funding

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is aware of any new or existing European funds, previously unallocated or applied for, to help fishing communities and, if so, what progress is being made with any application for such funds and whether it will give details, including the outcome, of any relevant discussions with Her Majesty's Government.

Ross Finnie: We are aware of no such funds. The Commission has proposed an additional 32 million euros across the Community for an emergency scrapping fund, but this has not been approved by the Council and the European Parliament.

European Funding

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what its position is on the operation of departmental expenditure limits in respect of European Union funding.

Mr Andy Kerr: Provision for expenditure related to EU funding channelled through or claimed direct by the Scottish Administration is included in Scotland’s Assigned Budget. Common Agricultural Policy-related expenditure is classified as Annually Managed Expenditure (AME) and the level of provision can therefore be adjusted annually and in-year to reflect the actual level of payments.

  All other expenditure related to EU funding channelled through or claimed direct by the Scottish Administration falls within Scotland’s Departmental Expenditure Limit (DEL).

Fire Service

Tommy Sheridan (Glasgow) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many fire service staff have (a) been recruited and (b) retired in each of the last four years, broken down by fire brigade, and how many full-time equivalent vacancies there are in each brigade.

Hugh Henry: Statistics are obtained on an annual basis and have yet to be collated for 2002-03. The following table relates to full-time firefighters over the period 1998-2002.

  


Brigade 
  

1998-99 
  

1999-2000 
  

2000-01 
  

2001-02 
  



R’crts 
  

Retire 
  

Vac’s1


R’crts 
  

Retire 
  

Vac’s 
  

R’crts 
  

Retire 
  

Vac’s 
  

R’crts 
  

Retire 
  

Vac’s 
  



Central 
  

5 
  

3 
  

3 
  

14 
  

6 
  

0 
  

21 
  

10 
  

1 
  

12 
  

8 
  

6 
  



Dumfries and Galloway 
  

7 
  

1 
  

1 
  

3 
  

3 
  

+2 
  

0 
  

3 
  

1 
  

11 
  

8 
  

+5 
  



Fife 
  

16 
  

19 
  

3 
  

30 
  

19 
  

+2 
  

13 
  

16 
  

10 
  

53 
  

21 
  

3 
  



Grampian 
  

11 
  

5 
  

4 
  

13 
  

10 
  

17 
  

46 
  

3 
  

14 
  

0 
  

17 
  

12 
  



Highland and Islands 
  

8 
  

6 
  

5 
  

8 
  

10 
  

0 
  

0 
  

1 
  

2 
  

0 
  

4 
  

0 
  



Lothian and Borders 
  

43 
  

16 
  

28 
  

26 
  

12 
  

19 
  

30 
  

5 
  

4 
  

21 
  

33 
  

6 
  



Strathclyde 
  

39 
  

48 
  

22 
  

23 
  

46 
  

28 
  

110 
  

57 
  

10 
  

68 
  

90 
  

23 
  



Tayside 
  

12 
  

14 
  

2 
  

12 
  

17 
  

5 
  

15 
  

19 
  

3 
  

6 
  

29 
  

1 
  



Scotland 
  

141 
  

112 
  

68 
  

129 
  

123 
  

65 
  

235 
  

114 
  

45 
  

171 
  

210 
  

46 
  



  Note:

  1. Vacancies have been identified as variations between authorised establishments and strengths. The vacancy figures are as at 31 March of the given year.

Fire Service

Cathy Peattie (Falkirk East) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made with the commissioning of decontamination units and related equipment and the training of firefighters in the use of this equipment.

Hugh Henry: A UK-wide procurement process is under way. The initial delivery of equipment is being made to one designated UK centre in England. Distribution across the UK will start by the end of March. Operational procedures and training requirements have been identified. Training is scheduled for April/May dependant on agreement being reached with the Fire Brigades Union.

Fireworks

Shona Robison (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what further progress has been made towards introducing a licensing scheme for the vendors of fireworks.

Hugh Henry: The Fireworks Bill, a Private Member’s Bill introduced by Bill Tynan at Westminster, received its second reading on 28 February. The bill covers both devolved and reserved matters and, if successful, will enable ministers to introduce suitable regulations which will address many of the concerns which have been raised with the Executive. We are keeping in close contact with the UK Government on the progress of the bill.

Fisheries

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what information it has received about whether the current days-at-sea restrictions and quota allocations will remain in place until the end of 2003 or whether they will be replaced by a different regime on 1 July 2003, as originally agreed by Her Majesty's Government and the European Union.

Ross Finnie: The provisions made under Council Regulation (EC) No. 2341/2002 will remain in force until 31 December 2003 unless amended or replaced by other measures. We await proposals from the Commission both on amendments to Annex XVII of the Regulation (days at sea controls) and on a longer term plan for cod recovery.

Fisheries

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will make representations to Her Majesty’s Government to take the necessary steps to enable the allocation of the €150 million additional European Union money referred to in the resolution of 10 March 2003 in the European Parliament on the white fish sector.

Ross Finnie: No such additional funds exist. The Commission's proposal is for an additional €32 million across the Community for an emergency scrapping fund, but this has not been approved by the Council and the European Parliament.

Fisheries

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what account it takes of any tax paid by the recipients of grants it made to decommission fishing vessels when it awards the grants and what information it has on how much tax was paid, expressed as a percentage of the total amount of such grants, and on how much is expected to be paid by recipients of grants in the forthcoming decommissioning scheme.

Ross Finnie: No account is taken of the tax position of applicants when assessing decommissioning bids. Taxation policy is a reserved matter for the Inland Revenue. The information requested is not held centrally.

Fisheries

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what representations it has made to HM Treasury in regard to the tax paid as a result of the last fishing vessel decommissioning scheme.

Ross Finnie: No such representations have been made.

Harbours

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what dependence Macduff harbour and surrounding businesses have on fishing.

Ross Finnie: No detailed breakdown on the fishery dependence of Macduff harbour and the surrounding businesses is available. However, the Scottish Economic Report published in 2002 estimates that about 7% of employment in the Banff Travel-to-Work Area, in which Macduff is located, is directly related to fishing activity.

Health

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether botox injections are safe.

Malcolm Chisholm: The Committee on Safety of Medicines (CSM) has advised that botox met appropriate standards of quality, safety and efficacy to justify its licence for use in the relief of muscle spasms and the management of excessive sweating of the armpits.

  Since licensing, the safety of botox has been closely monitored by the Medicines Control Agency (MCA) and the CSM. The balance of risks and benefits remains favourable in the licensed indications.

Health

Mr Kenneth Macintosh (Eastwood) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made by the monitoring group on Glasgow's acute services review.

Mr Frank McAveety: During the debate on Glasgow's acute services review on 12 September 2002, Malcolm Chisholm endorsed a commitment to keep named services at Stobhill General Hospital and the Victoria Infirmary over the next five years, and to have this monitored locally. I have now had the opportunity to consider how this commitment should be discharged and have commissioned two monitoring groups, one for north Glasgow and one for south Glasgow. The remit is the same for both groups and includes an opportunity for stakeholder involvement in service design and other key implementation aspects of the acute services review.

  The membership of the groups, which will both meet for the first time on Friday 28 March, reflects strong local involvement of elected representatives and members of the public. The remainder of the membership comprises clinical and NHS staff representatives. Both groups have independent chairs with strong links to Glasgow throughout their careers.

  I believe that this is the best balance to deliver the commitment made during the debate and will ensure that local people have an opportunity to be fully involved as decisions flowing from the acute services review are implemented.

Health and Safety

Donald Gorrie (Central Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what information it holds on the details of reported health and safety incidents affecting the public in each of the last four years in each NHS trust, broken down by category of reported incident.

Malcolm Chisholm: Details on health and safety incidents affecting the public in each of the last four years in each NHS trust, broken down by category of reported incident are not centrally available.

Housing

Andrew Wilson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive on what dates, and with whom, it has held discussions regarding the payment of compensation to homeowners of properties in the Ainslie Road and Macclehose Road area of the Cumbernauld and Kilsyth constituency.

Ms Margaret Curran: On 4 March 2002 the then Minister for Social Justice, Iain Gray, met with Cathie Craigie who is the constituency MSP, North Lanarkshire Council and the local owners’ association, AMAG, on the problems associated with the flats at Ainslie Road and Macclehose Road and possible ways forward. There have since been a number of follow-up discussions between those parties and the Scottish Executive which have included meetings that I have had with Ms Craigie on 3 September 2002, 13 January 2003 and 26 March 2003.

Housing

Andrew Wilson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has been asked by any party to provide financial assistance towards any compensation scheme for the homeowners of properties in the Ainslie Road and Macclehose Road area of the Cumbernauld and Kilsyth constituency and, if so, which parties made such requests, when and what its response was to each request.

Ms Margaret Curran: The North Lanarkshire Council has asked the Scottish Executive to assist with the costs that would be involved should they proceed with a scheme to acquire and demolish the flats at Ainslie Road and Macclehose Road and rehouse the residents or provide assistance to acquire other accommodation. The council wrote to me in September 2002 to request assistance and I replied in October 2002 agreeing in principle to assist. The final decision will depend on the details of the council’s proposals when they are received.

Housing

Michael Matheson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has been consulted on any proposal by the Home Secretary to withdraw from individual tenants the automatic right to be granted housing benefit and the impact of such a policy on its social justice policy.

Ms Margaret Curran: The Scottish Executive will continue to liaise with UK Government on any proposals to make changes to the housing benefit and to advise on the implications for its devolved responsibilities.

Housing

Michael Matheson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what its position is on the possible withdrawal of housing benefit for anti-social behaviour and the impact of such a policy on its social justice policy.

Ms Margaret Curran: The Scottish Executive is interested in exploring any proposals which might help to tackle anti-social behaviour and will continue to liaise with the UK Government on the details and implications of any specific measures relating to housing benefit.

Justice

Mr Tom McCabe (Hamilton South) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to increase the number of restorative justice projects.

Mr Jim Wallace: Last year, we announced £2 million to help set up restorative justice schemes for under 16s. As a result, most local authorities now have local restorative youth justice programmes in place, with schemes in development in the remaining areas.

  In December 2002, we provided £250,000 to the Scottish Police Service for training and support for a Scottish-wide system of restorative cautions. Work is on-going to identify good practice and guidance will be produced in the coming year that will inform a further £250,000 of extra funding.

  In addition, mediation and reparation schemes for over 16s operate in Edinburgh/Midlothian, North and South Lanarkshire and Aberdeen as part of diversion from prosecution. Community Service Orders, which are available nationally, can also be regarded as meeting restorative justice principles.

Justice

Phil Gallie (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) females and (b) males were charged with abuse of children in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Mr Jim Wallace: The available information is contained in the following table. The statistics relate only to those offences where by definition the victim was a child. Information on proceedings in relation to other offences which may involve child victims, e.g. assault, cannot be identified separately within the data held centrally.

  Persons Proceeded Against for Selected Offences1, 1997-2001

  


Sex 
  

Year 
  



1997 
  

1998 
  

1999 
  

2000 
  

2001 
  



Males 
  

404 
  

648 
  

386 
  

322 
  

386 
  



Females 
  

133 
  

148 
  

121 
  

114 
  

111 
  



Total 
  

537 
  

796 
  

507 
  

436 
  

497 
  



  Notes:

  1. Where main offence involved was cruel and unnatural treatment of children, child stealing, drunk in charge of a child, lewd and libidinous practices (excluding shameless indecency), defilement of a girl under 16 or possession of indecent photographs of children.

Justice

Michael Matheson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many cases were marked "no proceedings" due to delay in reporting to the procurators fiscal in April to December 2002, broken down by police force area.

Mrs Elish Angiolini: The information is not available by police force area. Information by procurator fiscal office is as follows:

  


PF Office 
  

Number of Cases Marked "No Proceedings" 
  Due to Delay in Reporting to Procurators Fiscal 
  



Aberdeen 
  

144 
  



Airdrie 
  

1,591 
  



Alloa 
  

9 
  



Arbroath 
  

2 
  



Ayr 
  

227 
  



Banff 
  

24 
  



Campbeltown 
  

1 
  



Cupar 
  

40 
  



Dingwall 
  

2 
  



Dornoch 
  

- 
  



Dumbarton 
  

43 
  



Dumfries 
  

27 
  



Dundee 
  

85 
  



Dunfermline 
  

36 
  



Dunoon 
  

13 
  



Duns 
  

8 
  



Edinburgh 
  

988 
  



Elgin 
  

40 
  



Falkirk 
  

59 
  



Forfar 
  

4 
  



Fort William 
  

- 
  



Glasgow 
  

5,842 
  



Greenock 
  

48 
  



Haddington 
  

13 
  



Hamilton 
  

743 
  



Inverness 
  

78 
  



Jedburgh 
  

5 
  



Kilmarnock 
  

453 
  



Kirkcaldy 
  

115 
  



Kirkcudbright 
  

5 
  



Kirkwall 
  

4 
  



Lanark 
  

12 
  



Lerwick 
  

9 
  



Linlithgow 
  

217 
  



Lochmaddy 
  

- 
  



Oban 
  

14 
  



Paisley 
  

494 
  



Peebles 
  

11 
  



Perth 
  

30 
  



Peterhead 
  

4 
  



Portree 
  

1 
  



Rothesay 
  

- 
  



Selkirk 
  

20 
  



Stirling 
  

41 
  



Stonehaven 
  

8 
  



Stornoway 
  

2 
  



Stranraer 
  

16 
  



Tain 
  

4 
  



Wick 
  

1

Justice

Michael Matheson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-33923 by Mrs Elish Angiolini on 10 March 2003, how many cases from April to December 2002 have been marked "no proceedings" because there has been a non-court disposal, broken down by warnings, conditional offers, fiscal fines and diversions from prosecution.

Mrs Elish Angiolini: Cases in which there has been a non-court disposal are not marked "no proceedings" and do not form part of the no proceedings data provided in the answer given to question S1W-33923. The number of cases in which there were non-court disposals in the categories listed, broken down as requested, for the period April to December 2002 are as follows:

  


Total Reports Received 
  

Cases Closed as Warnings 
  

Cases Closed as Conditional Offers 
  

Cases Closed as Fiscal Fines 
  

Cases Closed as Diversions from Prosecution 
  



224,779 
  

11,169 
  

4,557 
  

17,305 
  

801 
  



As % of Total Reports 
  

5% 
  

2% 
  

7% 
  

0.3%

Land Reform

Nora Radcliffe (Gordon) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how it is supporting the development of the core path network.

Ross Finnie: Section 17 of the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003 provides for a duty on local authorities, not later than three years following implementation of Part 1 of the act, to draw up a plan for a system of paths sufficient for the purpose of giving the public reasonable access throughout their area. Implementation of Part 1 of the act is expected to be in the first half of 2004.

  An allocation of £6.5 million for 2003-04, £7.4 million for 2004-05 and £8.1 million for 2005-06 will be made available to local authorities in respect of access related activity. Scottish Natural Heritage is spending over £21 million over the current three years to promote and facilitate access, a proportion of which will be in the form of grants to local authorities.

Ministerial Meetings

Michael Matheson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what meetings ministers plan to hold with UK ministers in April 2003; how many such meetings will take place in Scotland; when each meeting will take place, and which Scottish and UK ministers will attend each meeting.

Mr Jim Wallace: Scottish Executive ministers will continue to be in contact with UK ministers as appropriate during April 2003.

Ministerial Meetings

Michael Matheson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many meetings between Scottish and UK ministers have been held in each month since July 1999.

Mr Jim Wallace: Scottish Executive ministers have held a wide range of meetings, both formal and informal, with UK ministers since July 1999. It is not our practice to disclose details of such meetings, which are numerous and not all recorded in detail, and which may often be in the context of sensitive and confidential negotiations.

NHS Staff

Phil Gallie (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether there is a shortfall of paediatricians in relation to positions in hospitals and, if so, what steps are being taken to address the situation.

Mrs Mary Mulligan: The latest available information on the number of consultant paediatric posts and vacancies is shown in the following table.

  Paediatrician vacancies in Scotland1,2

  Headcount at 30 September 2002

  

 

Became vacant: 
  

Vacancies as a percentage of establishment: 
  


 

Establishment3


In Post 
  

Total Vacancies 
  

After 1 April 2002 
  

Before 31 March 2002 
  

Total Vacancies 
  

After 1 April 2002 
  

Before 31 March 2002 
  



Paediatrics 
  

126 
  

121 
  

5 
  

3 
  

2 
  

4.0% 
  

2.4% 
  

1.6% 
  



Paediatric surgery 
  

15 
  

15 
  

- 
  

- 
  

- 
  

- 
  

- 
  

- 
  



Paediatric dentistry 
  

10 
  

9 
  

1 
  

1 
  

- 
  

10.0% 
  

10.0% 
  

- 
  



  Notes:

  1. Includes honorary appointments.

  2. Details posts vacant at 30 September 2002 irrespective of when the vacancy arose.

  3. Comprises Staff-in-Post + Total Vacancies.

  The Scottish Executive has made a commitment to 375 more junior doctors by 2004 and is committed to increase the number of consultants by 600 over the spending review period.

National Cultural Strategy

Cathy Peattie (Falkirk East) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to further assist local authorities in implementing the National Cultural Strategy.

Mike Watson: I am pleased to announce the publication today of the document, Implementation of the National Cultural Strategy: Guidance for Scottish Local Authorities . This is a joint publication with COSLA in the spirit of the kind of partnership activity that the guidance advocates. The guidance explores and identifies approaches and good practice for delivering local authorities' core cultural provision and the wide range of other core activities in which culture can play an important role. The guidance is commended to all local authorities, cultural agencies and other interested parties. Copies are available from the Parliament’s Reference Centre (Bib. number 27154) and on the Executive website.

National Health Service (Scotland) (Injury Benefits) Regulations 1998

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many applications for injury benefit have been received under the National Health Service (Scotland) (Injury Benefits) Regulations 1998 as amended in each year since the regulations came into force and what percentage of these were successful on (a) first application, (b) review and (c) appeal.

Mr Andy Kerr: Statistics for the three complete years 1999-2000, 2000-01 and 2001-02 as well as for the year 2002-03 to date are given in the table. It should be noted that the National Health Service (Scotland) (Injury Benefits) Regulations 1998 provide for successful applicants to receive a supplement to their income to bring their post injury income up to a proportion of their pre-injury income, that proportion depending on the degree of disability. "Successful" does not, therefore, mean that an additional payment is made. Reviews and appeals take into account the way the disability has developed since the original application and can be in respect of the degree of disability as well as the existence of disability. Hence, there are reviews of successful original applications.

  

 

Applications 
  

% Successful 
  



New 
  

Review 
  

Appeal 
  

New 
  

Review 
  

Appeal 
  



1999-2000 
  

118 
  

32 
  
 

81.40% 
  

81.30% 
  
 



2000-01 
  

76 
  

30 
  

1 
  

75.00% 
  

80.00% 
  

100.00% 
  



2001-02 
  

80 
  

34 
  

1 
  

85.00% 
  

64.70%* 
  

100.0% 
  



2002-03 
  

68 
  

11 
  
 

91.20% 
  

54.50%* 
  
 



  Note:

  *Excluding cases on-going.

Nursing

Mr Andrew Welsh (Angus) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps are being taken to fill nursing vacancies in Tayside.

Malcolm Chisholm: Responsibility for recruitment lies with NHS trusts as employers. The Facing the Future group, established in 2001 and chaired by me, supports trusts in this role and has introduced a range of initiatives to aid recruitment and retention of nurses and midwives in NHSScotland. NHS trusts in Tayside have benefited from these initiatives in the same way as other trusts across Scotland have. Tayside have been particularly successful, with the most recent figures showing no vacancies in either trust remaining unfilled for longer than three months.

Older People

Ms Sandra White (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what research it has commissioned into the issues involved in promoting the employment of older workers throughout the workforce.

Des McNulty: Matters relating to equal opportunities and employment are reserved to the UK Government. The Executive supports the Department for Work and Pension’s "Age Positive" campaign, which includes increasing awareness about the benefits of employing older people. The Executive has a number of initiatives on-going to realise the objectives of the Department for Work and Pension’s Age Diversity and Over 50s Employment Strategy and is involved in planning for future initiatives with other agencies and the UK Government.

  Research on this issue including information and guidance for employers, is available on the website:

  http://www.agepositive.gov.uk.

Pensions

Andrew Wilson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether any issues could arise for it from the proposed changes involving bank accounts to the pension payments system; whether any such issues would be either short or long term; what action it will undertake to address each individual issue, and, if there is a financial aspect to addressing any issue, who would be responsible for the cost.

Ms Margaret Curran: The Scottish Executive does not expect any issues in devolved areas to arise from the changes to payments of pensions. Pensions and benefits and banking are reserved matters.

Pensions

Andrew Wilson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what issues have been identified with any of the systems proposed for the payment of pensions; whether any issues have a judicial aspect that may require the involvement of the Scottish Law Officers, and what action it has undertaken, or will undertake, to address each such issue.

Ms Margaret Curran: The Scottish Executive recognises that there could be practical difficulties in identifying pensions and social security benefits when paid direct into a bank account if enforcement by arresting monies in bank accounts is attempted.

  In line with its commitment to continuing the existing principle of protecting subsistence levels of income from arrestment, the Scottish Executive included this concern in its consultation document Enforcement of Civil Obligations in Scotland in April 2002. An independent analysis of the responses was published in November 2002. Both these documents are available on the Scottish Executive website at:

  http://www.scotland.gov.uk/consultations/justice/CivOb-00.asp and

  http://www.scotland.gov.uk/socialresearch.

Police

Michael Russell (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many police officers were employed in the North Ayrshire local authority area in (a) 1996-97, (b) 1997-98, (c) 1998-99, (d) 1999-2000, (e) 2000-01 and (f) 2001-02.

Mr Jim Wallace: This information is not held centrally and is a matter for Strathclyde Police.

Police

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether national targets for the Scottish Police Service for 2004 to 2006 have been set.

Mr Jim Wallace: Rolled forward targets, for the areas presently covered, have been arrived at following detailed consultation with the Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland and the Convenors of police authorities. These new targets are being set for the Scottish police to achieve by the year 2005-06.

  All of the police targets are intended to build on local plans and existing strategies and to provide a national focus for key areas. The Vehicle Crime target also encompasses the existing national target for car crime set by the UK Government in September 1998.

  These new targets are as follows:

  Serious Violent Crime:

  A reduction in the number of recorded incidents of serious violent crime of 5%.

  An increase in the detection rate of serious violent crime of two percentage points.

  (Baseline: annual average based on the three financial years 2000-01 to 2002-03)

  Vehicle Crime:

  A reduction in the number of recorded incidents of vehicle crime of 15%.

  (Baseline: annual average based on the three financial years 2000-01 to 2002-03)

  Drugs:

  An increase in the weight of Category A drug seizures of 10%.

  An increase in detection of offences for supply or intent to supply Category A drugs by 10%.

  (Baseline: annual average based on the three financial years 2000-01 to 2002-03)

  Housebreaking:

  A 5% reduction in domestic housebreaking.

  (Baseline: annual average based on the three financial years 2000-01 to 2002-03)

  Racist Incidents:

  An increase in the detection rate of five percentage points.

  (Baseline: annual average based on the three financial years 2000-01 to 2002-03)

  Road Policing/Safety:

  a reduction in the number of people killed or seriously injured in road accidents by 33%.

  a reduction in the number of children killed or seriously injured by 40%.

  a reduction in the slight casualty rate by 10%.

  (Baseline: annual average of five calendar years 1994-98).

Regeneration

Andrew Wilson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many proposals have been submitted for the redevelopment of Cumbernauld town centre since its partial demolition; on what date each such proposal was submitted; to what local authority and by whom each proposal was submitted; how far each proposal has progressed in relation to planning permission; on what date and, in each case, why any proposals were discontinued, and what cost was incurred to public funds on each occasion.

Des McNulty: These are all matters for North Lanarkshire Council as planning authority.

Regeneration

Andrew Wilson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what consultations it has carried out on the redevelopment of Cumbernauld town centre; what the dates were of each such consultation; who was consulted; what the terms and scope were of each consultation, and what the outcome was and what the reasons were for its position in each case.

Des McNulty: The Scottish Executive has not carried out any consultations on the redevelopment of Cumbernauld town centre.

Regeneration

Andrew Wilson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive for what specific reasons the proposals by the Cumbernauld Development Corporation for the redevelopment of Cumbernauld town centre have not been carried forward by North Lanarkshire Council.

Des McNulty: These are matters for North Lanarkshire Council.

Regeneration

Andrew Wilson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the current condition of Cumbernauld town centre is acceptable; what action it has taken in respect of the town centre, and what the reasons are for its position on this matter.

Des McNulty: These are matters for the owners of Cumbernauld town centre and North Lanarkshire Council.

Regeneration

Andrew Wilson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what social amenities that it would consider to be appropriate and desirable for a population the size of that in the Cumbernauld and Kilsyth parliamentary constituency are missing from Cumbernauld town centre and what action it will take in respect of this matter.

Mr Andy Kerr: The Scottish Executive does not assess the social amenity requirements of individual areas. These judgements are primarily a matter for the relevant local authority, as is action to deal with any gaps in provision.

Registers of Scotland

Susan Deacon (Edinburgh East and Musselburgh) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what targets it expects Registers of Scotland to achieve in 2003-04.

Mr Jim Wallace: I have set the Registers of Scotland the following key targets for 2003-04:

  To achieve a return of 15% on net capital employed over the three-year period ending 31 March 2004.

  To reduce the standard production cost index by 2% by 31 March 2004 from its base at 31 March 2003.

  To continue to operate at Service First Charter Mark standards measured through market research; to increase accuracy, speed of response and value for money performance by a further 5% measured through the annual customer survey, and to process 97% of all other enquiries in compliance with the agency's customer service standard.

  To achieve recording and registration turnaround times:

  - averaging 15, but not exceeding 25 working days for Sasine Writs;

  - averaging 25, but not exceeding 30 working days for Dealings with Whole;

  - averaging 105, but not exceeding 125 working days in any quarter for domestic First Registrations, with 70% of all such applications being completed within 125 working days, and

  - to reduce the average age of the backlog of domestic First Registrations from 30 weeks to 26 weeks.

  To increase the income from the agency’s information services by 5% more than income in 2002-03.

  To achieve a registration accuracy of at least 97% during 2003-04.

  Achievement of these targets will ensure that homebuyers receive an improved and more efficient service over the coming year.

  The transfer to the Land Register of Banff, Moray, Ross and Cromarty, Caithness, Sutherland, Orkney and Zetland on 1 April 2003 will complete the transfer of counties from the Register of Sasines to the Land Register. From that date the Land Register will be in operation across the whole of Scotland.

Schools

David Mundell (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to change the procedures local authorities must follow to close rural schools.

Cathy Jamieson: The publicity and consultation requirements which local authorities are required to follow in connection with school closure proposals are set out in the Education (Publication and Consultation Etc)(Scotland) Regulations 1981. We have no current plans to amend the regulations. This was recently discussed at the Education, Culture and Sport Committee.

Schools

Dennis Canavan (Falkirk West): To ask the Scottish Executive what criteria it uses to assess bids for capital finance for school buildings.

Cathy Jamieson: Local authorities do not bid for capital finance, and their capital allocations are distributed as a single allocation for their non-housing capital programmes on the basis of a formula agreed with COSLA.

  Authorities were invited in September 2001 to submit Outline Business Cases in support of bids for financial support towards the capital cost of school Public Private Partnership (PPP) proposals. The criteria for assessing these bids were initially set out in Scottish Executive Education Department circular 8/2001, a copy of which is available in the Parliament’s Reference Centre. These relate to affordability, value for money, deliverability, estate management issues and approach to community use of school facilities. It was clarified during 2002 that funding is also conditional upon use of the Standard Scottish Schools PPP contract, and upon compliance with the Scottish Executive/STUC Staffing Protocol.

Scottish Agricultural College

Mr Mike Rumbles (West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what representations it has made to the Scottish Agricultural College following the publication of the review of the college’s operations.

Ross Finnie: I have asked the Scottish Agricultural College to consult stakeholders and staff on the Deloitte & Touche Report, and to undertake additional work on its strategy for its education services, and on the financial viability and affordability of the options in the review.

  I have also asked the college to re-examine the extent to which it proposes to relocate services from the west and north-east of Scotland.

Scottish Agricultural College

Mr Adam Ingram (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the economic impact will be of the Scottish Agricultural College’s plan to rationalise its operations and base them in Edinburgh.

Ross Finnie: It is not possible to say, no decisions have been taken on the Scottish Agricultural College’s proposals.

  I have asked the college to invite comments on the Options Appraisal Report, prepared by consultants Deloitte & Touche, and to undertake further work on a number of key aspects of their proposals.

Scottish Agricultural College

Phil Gallie (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive under what conditions the Scottish Agricultural College buildings at Auchencruive were inherited by the nation and whether any change of use of the buildings and land away from agricultural education purposes would negate their current ownership.

Ross Finnie: This is a matter for the Scottish Agricultural College which has title to the land and buildings at its campus at Auchincruive.

Scottish Executive Advertising

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the total spend of its advertising budget will be in 2002-03.

Mr Andy Kerr: The final figure for advertising expenditure for 2002-03 is not yet available because not all invoices have been received.

  I expect the figure to be close to the estimated £13 million announced in the Scottish Executive press release 208, of February 7, which confirmed both a 25% reduction in expenditure in the fourth quarter of 2002-03, and an expenditure level for 2003-04 set at 25% less than 2002-03.

Scottish Transport Group Pension Schemes

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will urge Her Majesty’s Government to arrange to meet members of the Parliament in order to discuss the situation of members of the Scottish Bus Group pension schemes and, in particular, the issue of whether Scottish Bus Group Pensioners should have to pay tax on their ex-gratia payments, given that members of the National Bus Company pension scheme did not.

Lewis Macdonald: The decision on whether to agree to such a meeting is entirely a matter for UK ministers. Tax and equity issues formed part of the case made by Scottish ministers to the Treasury which secured additional funds of £26 million for distribution to beneficiaries.

Scottish Water

Alex Johnstone (North-East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps can be taken to ensure that Scottish Water is able to place contracts with local companies that traditionally worked with the former water authorities.

Ross Finnie: The selection of contractors for the delivery of the capital programme is a decision for Scottish Water in light of its obligations to provide services to customers as effectively and efficiently as possible.

Sexual Offences

Mr Gil Paterson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many reports of (a) rape and (b) assault with intent to rape were made to procurators fiscal in each year since 1997, broken down by police force.

Mrs Elish Angiolini: This information is not held centrally at present, but action is currently being taking to improve how this type of information is recorded. It is hoped that it should be possible to complete the improvements to our record keeping systems in the coming months.

Social Inclusion

Tommy Sheridan (Glasgow) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has made any progress towards ending inequality of wealth in the last four years.

Ms Margaret Curran: Figures published earlier in March show that the Executive has made clear inroads in defeating poverty. Since 1997 we have lifted over 170,000 people in Scotland out of relative poverty, which is an indicator of how the living standards of poorer families compare with those of society as a whole. We are working across the Executive on various measures to close the opportunity gap including reducing fuel poverty and developing Scotland’s skillbase through programmes like education maintenance allowances and modern apprenticeships.

Special Educational Needs

Michael Russell (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will extend the period of consultation on the draft Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Bill in regard to the replacement of the present Record of Needs legislation, in light of any concerns from parents of children that will be affected by the proposals.

Michael Russell (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will inquire into the effectiveness of the process of consultation on the draft Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Bill to replace the present Record of Needs legislation and whether the consultation process enabled parents to be heard.

Cathy Jamieson: The Scottish Executive has no plans to extend the period of consultation. Parents of children who will be affected by the legislation have expressed a range of views about the proposals in the draft Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Bill. Ministers will consider carefully all views received in response to the consultation.

  The introduction of the bill to Parliament will be subject to the new administration. After introduction, a further stage of consultation will begin. At this time, normal practice is that a lead committee will consider the proposals in the draft bill, and take evidence from any individual or organisation wishing to submit their views. The lead committee will also scrutinise the adequacy of the consultation process.

Sport

Michael Russell (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when  sportscotland intends to decide on a relocation of its headquarters and whether North Ayrshire is being considered as a possible location.

Mike Watson: Following consideration of the report from the consultants, we and  sportscotland commissioned to carry out a property review and national facilities study, I announced on 23 March a strategy for the development and procurement of national and regional sports facilities. As part of that announcement, I made clear that the consultants’ report found that there is an economic case for relocating  sportscotland’s HQ. We intend to pursue this by investigating fully the case for co-locating it with a major sports facility development in the central belt area. We shall also pursue with equal vigour the case for relocation as a stand alone option. The central belt area identified by the consultants as eligible does not include North Ayrshire but it will be open to any local authority area which considers it can make a persuasive case for locating the HQ there to do so.

Sustainable Development

Bruce Crawford (Mid Scotland and Fife) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when the Cabinet Sub-Committee on Sustainable Scotland last met; when it will meet next, and what plans it has to review and update the external membership of the committee.

Ross Finnie: The Cabinet Sub-Committee on Sustainable Scotland last met on 15 January 2003. I refer the member to the answer given to question S1O-6237 on 16 January 2003, which is available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at:

  http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/search.htm.

  The remit and membership of the sub-committee will be matters for the incoming administration.

Sustainable Development

Bruce Crawford (Mid Scotland and Fife) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has provided any guidance to its departments, executive agencies and non-departmental public bodies to assist in the review of spending plans against sustainable development criteria and, if so, whether it will publish this guidance.

Ross Finnie: The process followed during the Spending Review 2002, including the guidance and support for departments, is set out in Building a Sustainable Scotland , published on 18 December 2002.

Sustainable Development

Bruce Crawford (Mid Scotland and Fife) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how often, and in what format, it will report on achieving progress against each of the indicators set out in Indicators of Sustainable Development for Scotland .

Ross Finnie: In paragraph 49 of Meeting the Needs… , and in the introduction to Indicators of Sustainable Development for Scotland , we stated our intention to report regularly on the status of the sustainable development indicators. We are currently considering the best format for future reports.

  Data on many of the indicators is also available elsewhere and references to these sources are provided in Indicators of Sustainable Development for Scotland.

Teachers

Michael Russell (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many teachers were employed in the North Ayrshire local authority area in (a) 1996-97, (b) 1997-98, (c) 1998-99, (d) 1999-2000, (e) 2000-01 and (f) 2001-02.

Nicol Stephen: Information on full-time equivalent (FTE) primary and secondary teachers employed in the North Ayrshire local authority area in 1998-99 to 2001-02 is available from the Summary of Results of the September 1998 to 2001 School Censuses and can be accessed using the following hyperlinks:

  http://www.scotland.gov.uk/library2/doc02/ecsb-00.htm

  http://www.scotland.gov.uk/stats/bulletins/00013-00.asp

  http://www.scotland.gov.uk/stats/bulletins/00079-00.asp

  http://www.scotland.gov.uk/stats/bulletins/00168-00.asp

  Hyperlinks are not available for earlier years but copies of the relevant bulletins are in the Parliament's Reference Centre (Bib. numbers 16940 and 20188).

  Information available on FTE pre-school and special FTE teachers employed in the North Ayrshire local authority area in 1996-97 to 2001-02 has not been disaggregated to local authority level in publications and therefore is given in the table:

  

 

1996-97 
  

1997-98 
  

1998-99 
  

1999-2000 
  

2000-01 
  

2001-02 
  



Pre-School1


17 
  

21 
  

23 
  

36 
  

NA 
  

58 
  



Special 
  

35 
  

40 
  

42 
  

39 
  

39 
  

38 
  



  Note:

  1. Data for 1996-97 and 1997-98 only includes teachers in publicly funded nursery schools. Thereafter (due to changes in the sector) data includes pre-school education centres working in partnership with local authorities and the Scottish Executive. Figures exclude teachers working in daycare centres. Figures for pre-school teachers were not available from the 2001 pre-school census.

Tourism

Murdo Fraser (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with the tourist industry about the impact of the small business rates relief scheme.

Mr Andy Kerr: There was wide consultation with all sections of business before the scheme was announced. VisitScotland and the Scottish Tourism Forum have been consulted throughout the implementation phase.

Union of the Crowns

Michael Russell (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what information it is providing to schools and young people with regard to the historical significance of the Union of the Crowns; who has drawn up such information, and what efforts have been made to ensure that it is fair and balanced.

Mike Watson: Education features strongly in the plans to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the Union of the Crowns this year. Historic Scotland are inviting pupils from schools across Scotland to participate in a Schools Art Competition to design a crown, a sword or a sceptre for the Coronation of a King or Queen. Further details of the competition, pictures and further information on the Union of the Crowns can be found on the Historic Scotland website and in the specially commissioned Schools Art Competition brochure.

  In association with the Scottish Cultural Resources Access Network (SCRAN), a Union of the Crowns website has also been set up as part of the wider programme of events. The Union of the Crowns Advisory Group has overseen the arrangements for the design of the website, which provides access to a wide range of learning resources.

  All members of the advisory group contributed to the setting up of the Union of the Crowns programme of events. The group includes representatives from the City of Edinburgh Council, the University of Edinburgh, Unique Events, Historic Scotland, VisitScotland, the Scottish Tourism Forum, the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities, the Scotland Office and the Scottish Executive. Independent academics from the University of Edinburgh assessed the content of the Union of the Crowns website to ensure that it is fair and balanced.

Waste Management

John Farquhar Munro (Ross, Skye and Inverness West) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive when the consultant's final report of the review of litter legislation will be published.

Ross Finnie: The final report of the review of litter legislation has been published today (Bib. number 27094) and is available in the Parliament’s Reference Centre.

  It is clear from the report that for various reasons the existing legislation relevant to litter and flytipping is not being fully utilised. The main reasons suggested are a lack of clear understanding of the powers available, of clear guidance, particularly with regard to enforcement procedures, and the resource implications for enforcing bodies. However, it is also clear that the existing legislation, when used properly, can be effective. The report confirms that the necessary powers are generally already in place. It highlights, however, the need for improved guidance to all key stakeholders in using the powers and for the need to ensure that the public is made more aware of the legislation.

  In light of the recommendations contained within the report, the Executive has already provided funding to Keep Scotland Beautiful (KSB) to:

  update the current Code of Practice on Litter and Refuse and provide guidance on its implementation;

  establish and service a Scottish Flytipping Forum consisting of all key stakeholders, and

  pay for the first year costs for all local authorities in Scotland to participate in the Local Environmental Audit and Management System (LEAMS).

  In addition, we intend to increase the current Fixed Penalty Fine for littering from £25 to £50.

  A full response by the Executive to the report's findings is available in the Parliament’s Reference Centre (Bib. number 27095).

Young People

Mr Brian Monteith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive when the Minister for Education and Young People will next meet representatives of the teaching unions and what issues will be discussed.

Cathy Jamieson: I have met representatives from the Educational Institute of Scotland and Scottish Secondary Teachers’ Association within the last three weeks to discuss a variety of issues. I have no further plans to meet representatives of the teaching unions before the end of the current parliamentary session.

Youth Crime

Susan Deacon (Edinburgh East and Musselburgh) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it has taken to reduce youth crime in the (a) City of Edinburgh and (b) East Lothian council area since 1999.

Cathy Jamieson: Between 2000 and 2003-04, the Scottish Executive has made available around £3 million to the City of Edinburgh and £417,300 to East Lothian to support the development of services to reduce youth crime and address the needs identified in their youth crime audit. A summary of a local authority youth justice mapping exercise which contains information about existing initiatives and services in Edinburgh and East Lothian is available via the children’s hearings website at:

  http://www.childrens-hearings.co.uk/youthjustice.asp.

  In addition, East Lothian will receive around £600,000 over three years to support its work as a fast-track hearings pilot site.